Educated by Facts (Part B)

You know how many people are messed up because they're envious? They're bitter because they think they did this or they did that or you shouldn't this or you shouldn't that and they become difficult people. They become mean people. They become people you don't want to be with.

Somehow they get away with it. But the scripture is clear, a sound heart is life to the body when you know what you believe. When you're comfortable with what you believe, you have authority to exercise the things you believe.

You have authority to be forgiven. This is Cross Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Mark.

Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about Cross Reference Radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching. Today, Pastor Rick will continue his message called Educated by Facts as he teaches through Mark Chapter 9. If I'm angry at anything, it is sin, my sin. But I am very passionate about God's word. Satan, as he's done with many of you, spent a lot of time trying to get you to not be passionate about God's word, to be frustrated with the Lord, to be disappointed with what he allows and disallows. The righteous keep moving forward because they know in whom they have believed, which is the whole story of Job, the story of Joseph, the story of Jeremiah, the story of Jesus Christ, the story of Paul the Apostle, and countless Christians down through the ages.

This is real stuff here. And if you want to wait until you're dead to find out, it'd be too late to benefit from it. You can learn now. Throw yourself into what God is saying at his pace. Verse 31, for he taught his disciples and said to them, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And after he is killed, he will rise the third day. It hit them, you know, he's going to be killed.

And they didn't care for it. And so when he says the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of men, it's prophetic. That is prophecy. The Son of Man is being portrayed into the hands of men. It's solemn prophecy.

And he speaks in the present tense. Was Judas already in dialogue with the Pharisees? The enemy is mobilized against him for sure. Did he know that, or perhaps just in the head of Judas, he was already planning. Maybe Judas was singed because he did not get to go up to the mountain with Peter and James and John, but was left in the valley and further frustrated by the fact that he could not cast out the demon.

Whether that's true or not is really not important. The important thing is the Lord is saying the Son of Man is being betrayed. And the whole talk of death and dying to Judas would have meant no position in the Messiah's kingdom.

That would have been a great big disconnect for him. For the others too, but the others would not have betrayed him. They loved him. Judas betrayed him because he didn't love him. He followed him. He liked what was going on. In the early phases, he was certainly attracted and useful to the Lord. Then he hardened his heart until finally Satan filled his heart. And they will kill him, and after he is killed, he will rise a third day.

That's direct enough. The victory of the cross. The only hope for mankind. There's a song. We don't hear it much. You probably have to watch Lilies of the Field to get it.

I'm sure it's on the internet. This Amen song. Led before Pilate, then they crucified him, but he rose on Sunday. Now the song says Easter, but I prefer Sunday.

It's more biblical. Anyway, this they didn't get that when he was led before Pilate and then he crucified, of course, they fell out of step with that. This is the third time Mark records him bringing up this subject. You would think by now they would say, okay, look, Lord, this is the third time you've brought it up. I didn't get it the first two times.

I'm not getting it this time. Why didn't the Lord say, well, let me explain it to you this way? Well, he may have. All we have is commentary that he taught them these things. There are many details that he spoke to them that we don't have in print, but they took place. But it was so unpalatable for them. It brought sorrow. They didn't want to hear it.

Matthew 17, verse 23, covering the same story, and they will kill him, and the third day he will be raised up, and they were exceedingly sorrowful. Matthew adds that. But it's not enough. It's not enough that they were sorry about what they were hearing. They had a chance to follow up on it and they did not.

Why? We're going to read in a moment that they were afraid to follow up on it because it was so distasteful. They collectively refused to consider it, verse 32, and they did not understand this saying and were afraid to ask him. Luke adds these details in his account of this story. Jesus starts off this way with them.

Let these words sink down into your ears. Luke chapter 9, verse 43. For the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men. Then Luke adds, but they did not understand this saying and it was hidden from them so that they did not receive, perceive it.

And they were afraid to ask him about this saying. The outstanding points from Luke. Let these words sink down. Get this. You know, sometimes you read a scripture verse that you've read many times and all of a sudden it comes to life.

It is sinking down. You've got it. And other times, of course, it just didn't seem to mean that. Well, on this point the Lord is saying, this is critical.

I want you to get this. Well, he doesn't, they don't. Luke also says they did not understand the saying.

Why? As I mentioned, the rabbis had pushed this popular teaching of this heroic Messiah. We've been covering this. And they were afraid to ask about this saying because their minds were closed and they did not want to hear, how is it that you're so dull of hearing? How come you don't get this? They didn't want it or, and or, they just wanted the whole topic to go away. Because a crucified Messiah was a stumbling block to the Jew. In those days, to preach of a Jewish Messiah crucified was just no way.

It was a stumbling block. 1 Corinthians chapter 1. Paul says, but we preach Christ crucified to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness. Well, the Gentiles didn't want a king who was conquered and crucified. But of course, the gospel message goes beyond the crucifixion into the spiritual realm.

It deals with religion and God and things unseen and things eternal. But if you can't get past the fact that he was crucified then you go no further. And that's where they were. Psalm 22 did not register with them. It did not apply to somebody else, anybody else.

They didn't care for it. And so he's trying to educate them through the facts. And we look back at this 2,000 years later and we say, may I be very careful with the scripture that I don't read into verses popular beliefs simply because they're popular? I must ask, are they true? Is it accurate? It can be both. It can be accurate and popular.

Or it can be popular and wrong. A lot of people can have an opinion about a verse, an interpretation, and it's just not accurate based on other scriptures. And so they ruled out this death so far, so much, that they were now talking about who's going to be the greatest when he finally conquers Jerusalem.

That's what's going on here. We must not allow ourselves, again, to have our minds made up when we have no reason to hold those beliefs. They had no reason to doubt what he said. If he said, I'm going to be crucified, let's get to the bottom of this, considering the source. We do it with the Bible.

We go to the Bible. That's the source. It says, and they were afraid to ask him, which didn't help their cause, incidentally. Maybe you've been faced with things and you just don't want to hear it. I don't want the truth.

Just tell me a lie. I hope not. We don't want to ever go that far. But they were, again, in this position of opportunity and they missed it. There are, well, there is the danger of spiritualizing everything, reading an omen into it. It happens when we really want something and we're not discerning any leading from the Lord.

And we are susceptible to reading views into things and not sticking with the facts. A lot of Christians get in trouble with it. Well, I thought I was supposed to go to Egypt. Well, why did you think that?

Well, because I saw in the news that Egypt had, you know, nice weather or something and they just read into it. May we beware of the intellectual nepotism, which shows undue favoritism to an idea not based on God's Word. Well, verse 33, then he came to Capernaum and when he was in the house he asked them, what was it you disputed among yourselves on the road? Well, the trip from the north is over.

Capernaum was his base. When he leaves here, he will not return until after the resurrection. And, you know, I cannot, in preparing this message and looking at the first paragraph that we just discussed, I realized just how important it is, how important it is to pay attention to what he is saying because they're going to be rebuked because they didn't get it. If they listened to what he was saying, they wouldn't be called out on this. It's not that serious an issue, but it's serious enough for him to not let it pass. And when he was in the house he asked them, what was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?

Well, they were in the flesh arguing self-importance, arguing the importance of being important. And now he's asking them, what about this carnal behavior you exhibited? What's funny about this is after he gets through with them, the light's going to turn on for John. We're not going to get to it this session. John's going to say, we goofed, because that's how thorough the teaching is.

I'll cover that in a little bit. But here they were on the road and the burden of me first, the burden of show me attention, the burden of make me higher than the other guy. Proverbs 14, 30, a sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones. You know, how many people are messed up because they're envious, they're bitter because they think they did this or they did that or you shouldn't this or you shouldn't that, and they become difficult people, they become mean people, they become people you don't want to be with.

Somehow they get away with it. But the Scripture is clear, a sound heart is life to the body. When you know what you believe, when you're comfortable with what you believe, you have authority to exercise the things you believe. You have authority to be forgiven. You're not so guilt-ridden. You say, Lord, I tried, but I just could not. That chocolate donut was just overpowering, because you know he understands and you also know that you're giving it all you've got in Christ, that he's not excited about condemning us. He's looking for every opportunity to not condemn us. That's what the cross says.

I'll die for you if it will get the guilt off of you, I will die for you. But you've got to come and get it my way. Verse 35, and he sat down and called the twelve and said to them, if anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all. This must be in the courtyard of the house.

I mean a big enough house to call twelve men around you and be able to speak to them in relative comfort, not squeezed, squished together. But he is concentrating on their education still. He wants them to learn. Here, it is against self-promotion in ministry. See, they didn't really understand ministry. Their idea of ministry was doing whatever Christ wanted them to do.

Well, that should be our idea too. But it extends further than that. And this is what he's saying to them. I don't want you pushing yourself, shoving yourself to the front as you were doing on the road. These are grown men.

They understood what was happening when he asked the questions, why they didn't want to answer him. He says if anyone desires to be first, well, you want to know what it's like to desire to be first, play a board game. Wrestle with somebody. Try to pass somebody on the road. They speed up and won't let you pass. You can't be ahead of me. All right, maybe you're not just troubled by that, but I'm absolutely troubled by that. I just want to pass the person.

Choking back stories and exploits of how I got past that last guy I faced. Anyway, the flesh desires to be first. And while you may be able to get away with it in some areas more than others, in ministry, it is a big hindrance.

It is better to not be mindful of yourself than to become competitive. One way to do that is to not possess. It's not my ministry. I have my responsibilities. I'm accountable to them.

But should the time come when the Lord pulls that from me, I have to let it go. He shall be last of all and servant of all. Not the desired outcome.

In trying to be first, you're going to end up being last. That's what Jesus is saying. This is not what you want.

Not with me. You may be able to pull that somewhere else. You may be able to do that in someone else's kingdom. But in my kingdom, if you try to make yourself number one, if that is your objective, you're going to mess it up. Now, that does not mean we're not to give it our best.

That's all. Not for the purpose of, I tried to be the best pastor I can be. Not because I want to be better than the other guy, but because I want to serve the Lord with everything I have. Now, I never achieved that, but I certainly cover more ground that way than if I had another attitude other than that one. And it's the same with you. You, when you get a chance to preach Christ to somebody, you're trying to be the best witness you can be. Not because it's a competition, but because that's what it takes.

As much of your energy as you can muster in life. No matter what you're going through, you're never relieved from being a witness for Christ. You're never like, I got just too much going on right now. No. Not at all. In fact, that's a violation. To be able to say, I've got too much going on in life right now to witness Christ is to demonstrate you're really not that hot about Christ.

You're more interested in yourself. The world's philosophy is this. You are great if others are serving you. How many people do you have on your staff? How many people work for you?

How many checks do you sign for people? That's the world's interpretation. But greatness with the master, with our Lord, is to become a servant. And it comes from serving others. Those of you who serve in the church, for example. If your motives are right, if you know you're working for Jesus Christ and not for the church, then you know what service is about. Each one of us has to think this through. It's called examining yourselves.

I have to ask myself, are my motives right? Am I looking, Lord, to bring glory to you or am I looking for fame? I'm just pleased if I can make my points on a Sunday morning. Whatever points I found that I thought were of the Lord in preparation time, I just want to make those points.

And anything He gives me while I'm standing in the pulpit, I want to make those points. I find it exhausting but worthwhile. But I am not looking to win a popularity contest. I'm never looking to win a popularity contest. And although, if I'm standing in a store on a long line and they're going to open up a new register, I want to be singled out as first. Sir, you can come over here. Yeah, baby.

You dopes missed a chance. So there are times where it's okay. I suppose a servant of, I mean, would the Lord say, no, no, you go first. He probably would. I'm not.

Until he looks over at me, then everything changes. Anyway, we know that those who look to serve the Lord should not shove their way into first position up the corporate ladder, stepping on heads, lying about people, withholding the truth, cheating, behaving un-Christ-like just because they think it would be successful. And that's what they were doing on the road. You could just hear Peter. Peter said, I'm going to be the Lord's chief of staff just because I'm Peter and I'll beat you up if he gives it to you. That's right.

Not really, but, well, I kind of like that one. James and John, Peter would say to the other three, well, I don't remember you being up on the mountain. We were there.

You weren't. Things, little petty stuff like that. Anyway, verse 36, then he took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when he had taken him in his arms, he said to them. Evidently, in this house, there are children, of course. It comes back in verse 42, but he would again use a child to make his point, and he's still in the house.

Maybe it's Peter's house, could be Peter's kid. But what he is saying is here's a picture of innocence. This is innocence. We thought of the child, what does it mean to be a little child, a little one like he's talking about?

Somebody that doesn't give you a hard time back. Everybody loves babies because they don't criticize you. The baby doesn't look up at you, what are you wearing? I mean, they don't do that. They don't say anything negative compared to what we become later. One of the brothers here last week at the baby dedication of little Christopher mentioned how it just moved his heart, that innocence. See, that's the word, that innocence. That no knowledge of sin. Now, they get a little older, they get it, but not at their early ages.

They're just cute and soggy-bottomed, but they are innocent. And Christ is saying, I want you to be like that. And I have a picture of myself in first grade, this little red jacket and bow tie. And I look at that picture sometimes, I say, I wish I was still that boy. I wish I did not learn so many things about sin over the years that I've learned.

How to retaliate, you know, just how to do nasty things to somebody if they get on my bad side, or just think the wrong things. So many things are encapsulated in that one picture of innocence that is forever gone, forever in this life. And so Christ picks up the child and he says, this is what I want you to be like, a child, not scratching and clawing against each other. Whatever happened to this child that he picked up?

To be taken up in the arms of Christ and be part of his sermon. Whatever happened to that child? Verse 37, whoever receives one of these little children in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives not me, but him who sent me.

Whoever receives one of these little children in my name receives me. Again, it's not the child, it's the lesson. And the child helps him with this lesson. It's an object lesson, the child is the object of his lesson. The child is not only innocent, but dependent. We're supposed to be dependent on Christ. Well, on that road, were they not supposed to say, look, the right response would have been, I don't know what my position is going to be if the Lord sets up his kingdom. That's up to him. I'm dependent on him.

Whatever he wants, that would have been the ideal response. Harmless. Not belittling the other one. Well, you don't deserve that position. I deserve it, because I'm more qualified. I've been around longer. I've been a Christian longer.

I know more Bible verses than you know. They were, again, to be like this child. Dependent, innocent, and harmless.

Even though if you can't get there, just trying to get there puts you ahead of the game. Now, how many of you, myself included, this week will reference such a verse? How many of us, when put under a little pressure in the flesh, will say, I'm supposed to be innocent and harmless and dependent on the Lord. When it's out of my control, I'm supposed to be like this little child.

Not childish, childlike, not competitive, not independent to a fault, not self-centered. Little children in there that small, they're not self-centered. They're just doing their thing. They're not saying this is about me. Really, it is.

They just eat everything and play and are just adorable. And whoever receives me receives not me, but him who sent me. So Christ is saying, this is larger. This is much bigger than what you're looking at and hearing with me right here, right now. There's more to me, Jesus Christ, he was saying to them, than Jesus Christ. There is God the Son. See, they saw the incarnate Jesus when he's saying to them, it's bigger than this.

It's much bigger than this. And if you can receive it, if you can understand that, you won't bicker on the road. You won't worry about my death. You'll listen to me when I talk about my resurrection following the death.

You will pay more attention when you're more in tune to my greatness than limiting yourself to what's around you. At this word, and whoever receives me receives not me, but him who sent me, now briefly look with me at verse 38. Now John answered him, saying, Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us. Well, I'm not going to go into all of that, but I'm going to say, when Jesus said these words, it registered with John. And John said, Lord, I remember not being so innocent with someone who was not a part of our group. That's a success for Christ. He got the apostle to realize they made a mistake.

And that's what we'll, partly what we'll cover next session. So we must allow ourselves to be educated by the facts if God is the teacher. Thanks for tuning in to Cross Reference Radio for this study in the book of Mark. Cross Reference Radio is the teaching ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia. To learn more information about this ministry, visit our website, crossreferenceradio.com. Once you're there, you'll find additional teachings from Pastor Rick. We encourage you to subscribe to our podcast. When you subscribe, you'll be notified of each new edition of Cross Reference Radio. You can search for Cross Reference Radio on your favorite podcast app. That's all we have time for today, but we hope you'll join us next time as Pastor Rick continues to teach through the book of Mark, right here on Cross Reference Radio.